


Alles geht in Flammen auf

by TheHoardingPuffin



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Caleb Widogast Needs a Hug, Found Family, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Mighty Nein as Family, Nightmares, Rain, Sick Caleb Widogast, Sickfic, Traumatized Caleb Widogast
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-13
Updated: 2019-12-13
Packaged: 2021-02-25 20:28:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21781456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheHoardingPuffin/pseuds/TheHoardingPuffin
Summary: Caleb falls ill in the road. The Mighty Nein try their best to help him through it.
Relationships: The Mighty Nein & Caleb Widogast, The Mighty Nein & The Mighty Nein
Comments: 8
Kudos: 229





	Alles geht in Flammen auf

**Author's Note:**

> Some nice Mighty Nein / Caleb whump I wrote on the train to uni a few days ago. This is set before Molly's death and definitely before Caduceus appeared - somewhere in the first ten, fifteen episodes, give or take, but no real point in the timeline. I just wanted to write some sickfic, that's all.  
> Hope you enjoy it! Let me know what you think!  
> Love, Lotta

It is cold. Very cold – who knew temperatures could change so drastically so fast?

Caleb knew. Rationally, he knew. It is still sort of surprising to him, and to all of them, really. The rain certainly doesn’t help, either.

The streets in the little town they are passing through are set deep into the ground and the rain has already filled them up to the brim. The cart only moves slowly now. In the back, Jester has curled herself into a corner, holding onto her pink backpack with one hand and onto Nott with the other. Yasha and Mollymauk are huddled closely together, and Beau sits in another corner, shoulders drawn upwards, hands stuck under her armpits for warmth.

Fjord and Caleb are in the front, steering the cart, trying to ignore the cold as good as they can; Caleb’s coat is slowly soaking up the rain, but still keeps him relatively warm, and Fjord has his thick red cloak.

It will be enough at least until they will find a tavern or inn – any place to stay for the night.

They don’t find a place. Turns out, people in this little town are full of prejudice and hatred and refuse to give tieflings or halforcs or goblins rooms and beds, or even just food or drink. Caleb almost fumes with anger, but nobody is this place, this hellhole of a town, is willing to let them stay, not even against higher-than-usual payment. They have to push on.

Move forward.

None of them have spells left, they can’t disguise as humans, so it is down to more mundane ways for now. Close by the town’s border, a forest reaches up into the darkening sky – pines and oaks and some others, black in the fading light.

They find a cave not far into the forest. It is small, but closed off and empty and clean – no animal tracks – so this is where they will stay for the night. It’s not much, but it is better than sleeping in the cart, in the rain. They can even bring their horses into the cave, so they are safe and warm as well. A fire is lit, small but secured, giving warmth that is so dearly needed. They eat something – they don’t have that much left anymore, but it’s enough for now – and then settle for the night. Caleb takes first watch (and then second, because his thought run around his mind too much for him to rest just yet).

In the morning, they wake up to wet air and fog and a doused fire. They hurry to get going.

Caleb feels strangely heavy… _wie Blei_ , like lead. It can’t be a good sign, but Caleb ignores it for nor. It's probably just the lack of good sleep. Wouldn’t be the first time, would it?

Today, Yasha and Molly are in the front, steering, so Caleb settles into a corner and closes his eyes, summoning Frumpkin into his arms for a bit of warmth and comfort. Sleep comes easily to the toed wizard, but it doesn’t last and it is too light to actually grant rest. When he wakes, he feels more exhausted than before.

It is almost funny that, out of all of them, Beau notices first. Caleb never took her for the type to see things like that, or at least not about him. She doesn’t seem to like him much.

“You alright, man?”, she asks sometime in the early afternoon. Caleb startles a bit.

“ _Ja_. No, I’m fine, uh… yeah. Alright.”

It doesn’t sound convincing and they both know it.

“Really?”

Beau rises an eyebrow at him, the one that has a split cut into it, and it is very clear that she doesn’t believe him, but she lets it go and goes back to staring holes into the air. Caleb falls back asleep.

Nott is the next one to ask Caleb if he’s feeling okay, and Caleb assured her that it’s nothing, that he is merely exhausted because he didn’t sleep well. It is the same thing he’s already told himself, but barely believes. Nott only seems semi-convinced, but she doesn’t pry. Thank Gods she doesn’t.

Everything is hot and cold and fuzzy and blurred. There are hands on his arms and cheeks and they are cold and he struggled – no more, no more experiments, please…

“ _Bitte nicht… nein! Ich werd’ brav sein… ich schwöre es! Nur bitte keine Kristalle mehr, bitte!_ “

So hot, so cold… his skin hurts and feels to tight for his body. Everything is unsteady, he is moving around like a rag doll thrown into… a… something… so fuzzy…

They stop in the early evening. They are still in the forest, no signs of a town or village or so much as a clearing anytime soon, so they set up camp. Caleb is still asleep, has been for the biggest part of the day. They let him for now.

Fjord gets a fire going and Yasha gets out what bread and cheese and meat they have, separating rations for them all from the rest, which she puts back into their respective pouches and pockets.

“Someone should wake Caleb up”, she says as she works. Molly gets up and walks over to the cart. Caleb sits in his corner, head fallen to his right shoulder, Frumpkin snuggled close to his chest. It’s an endearing sight, and Molly is almost sad to disturb them, but he climbs onto the cart and lightly shakes Caleb’s shoulder. The Zemnian groans, but he doesn’t wake.

Frumpkin meows miserably, headbutts Molly’s hand and then sets a paw on Caleb’s face, standing on his back legs.

“I wish I spoke cat”, Molly murmurs. “Would make things much easier…”

He reaches up to Caleb’s cheek where Frumpkin put his paw. He finds Caleb’s skin almost as warm as his own – far too hot for a human.

Molly curses and shakes Caleb again, with the same result as before – close to none.

“Yeah, I’ll need help here!”, Molly calls and does his part in picking Caleb up. Molly is strong, but not quite strong enough to carry a fully grown Zemnian man. Beau comes over and helps him, and together they carry Caleb to the fire, settling him down on the driest spot of the forest ground they can find.

“I fucking knew he was lying”, Beau mumbles. Nott nods. “Me too… but he said…”

The goblin sighs.

They have no more healing potions, and Jester’s _Cure Wounds_ won’t work against the fever. They settle for wrapping Caleb into one of the horse-blankets and rubbing his joints to get him warmer – his face is hot, but his limbs are like ice – and cooling his forehead with a wet rag.

Caleb starts groaning and mumbling. It’s all Zemnian, but he seems disturbed, frightened. Clearly, he doesn’t know where he is, that he is safe. He’s fever-dreaming, maybe of his past…

Cold, warm… all is fuzzy, everything burns and hurts… Fire. In his veins, his blood. His muscles are aflame, his skin covered in glowing ash… he will burst into flames and then cease to exist, a faint memory, a tendril of stinking smoke that gets lost in the wind… _auf Wiedersehen, Caleb Widogast. Auf Wiedersehen, Bren…_

They heat up water in a small pot and Molly makes tea from peppermint leaves that they spoon-feed Caleb. Peppermint’s supposed to lower fevers and prevent nausea and vomiting, and they all hope it will help.

They all huddle together that night, holding Caleb, holding onto each other, a tight cocoon of warmth and comfort in the middle of the night. Nott holds onto Caleb’s hands when, in his nightmares, he tries to tear open his forearms. Beau and Jester sit on his legs when he starts kicking. Molly holds his head in his lab when Caleb screams and sobs and begs in his sleep. He runs his hands through Caleb’s sweat-soaked hair and over his cheeks, humming and whispering little things he hopes are comforting. Jester sings a lullaby. They feed him more tea. They secretly all blame themselves for not noticing Caleb’s unwell-being earlier, for not prying, even though rationally they know no-one’s at fault. When Caleb wakes up the next morning, his fever has lessened and he recognizes them again. When they journey on, Molly holds him in the back of the cart, and all the others (except for Beau, who’s in front) sit around them, giving warmth and safety to their squishy wizard friend.

They don’t know that this is the first time since the asylum that Caleb has been this ill, and the first time in much longer that someone has taken care of him in this way.

Once he’s healthy and awake again, Caleb makes a silent vow to repay them for their kindness. He will need a little longer to understand that they are a family now, and that kindness and care didn’t need to be repaid. Once he does realize it, he will cry in happiness, and he will hug them all, even Beau. They won’t understand it quite just yet, but they will all appreciate it in their own ways. 

Family. _Familie_. What a word. What a gift.

Caleb doesn’t feel like he’s falling apart and bursting into flames as much anymore.

Family.

**Author's Note:**

> Translations of the German: 
> 
> Title means: Everything bursts into flames
> 
> Wie Blei - like lead
> 
> What Caleb says/thinks in his fever: "Please don't... no! I will be good... I swear it! Just please no more crystals, please!"  
> "Goodbye, Caleb Widogast. Goodbye, Bren..."


End file.
